Cape town

Marketplace

Shaamiela’s Kitchen

More Information

DESCRIPTION
We welcome you to the Cape Malay neighbourhood of Bo Kaap, an area where your eyes will experience a fiesta of colourful houses and your stomach will feast on the delicious local food.

We take a walking tour of the predominantly Muslim community with the lovely Shireen who will be sharing with us the history, architecture, culture, religion and also the socio economic development that is happening in the community.
Followed by a delicious and entertaining Cape Malay cooking class with Shaamiela. We have Shaamiela and her cousin (who lives two doors down from her) to thank for the brightly painted houses. Her cousin was the first to paint his house lime green and she followed suite and painted her’s bright pink. From there everyone jumped on the bandwagon and started painting their houses. They were the pioneers of creating the area and the colourful mix that it is.

WHAT'S INCLUDED
Walking Tour
Food - Lunch - Starters: samosas (traditional triangle pastry delicacy) and chilli bites. Main meal: chicken curry, bean curry and roti (Indian flatbread used to grasp food and eat) Dessert: koeksisters (local spicy ""donut"" topped with coconut flakes)
Drinks - Soft drinks, juice, water, tea and coffee

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
Transportation
Extra Drinks - Alcoholic drinks

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
The food is not overly spicy - all dietary requirements can be met as long as advised prior to experience
Tipping in South Africa: Tipping is not mandatory but everyone in the service industry (waiters, guides etc) earns minimum wage and rely heavily on tips. The general amount is 10% but you do so at your own discretion.

HOST INTRO
You will start the day on a walking tour with local guide Shireen, who is born and raised in Bo-Kaap. She has a plethora of knowledge and will help the area come to life by giving the local community a voice through the telling of their stories.

Once you have worked up an appetite you will be welcomed into the house of ex local school principle, Shaamiela. She is very well known and respected in the community, so much so that when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited Cape Town in 2019, the Bo-Kaap community chose Shaamiela to host them for tea in her house.

Shaamiela will is a gracious host and will be taking us step-by-step through the process on how to make a Cape Malay curry, a roti as well as how to fold samosas.

MINIMUM TO OPERATE
4 people

MAXIMUM CAPACITY
14 people

DEADLINE TO BOOK
72 hours prior to the start of the experience

Frequently Asked Questions

Nation Reviews

If you want an authentic local experience - this is a great choice.

Great cultural experience allowing you to learn about the history of the Bo-Kaap neighborhood and people. Then you get to learn about local spices and put those in practice while cooking a delicious meal with Shamiela. Food was amazing! If you want an authentic local experience - this is a great choice.

Had a lovely time.

Had a lovely time. And a great way to experience a part of town that I may not have done much more than walked by.

To be welcomed into her home was a treat

To be welcomed into her home was a treat. To learn how to make food and appreciate the history and culture that went into it was simply an amazing experience.

SO DELICIOUS

Our attention spans were definitely waning a bit as we walked and learned about everything. Would be good to break it up a bit more. The food was absolutely incredible and Shaamiela was an absolute angel of a human. I feel like it was a bit hectic because of the amount of people and by the time we ate, everyone was exhausted and hungry from walking. I'd say do some of the teaching while we eat as well!

Fun, but too crowded

This event would have been more fun if it were not so crowded - there were 2 formal groups in town this month, plus a ton of citizens and we had about 20 people in this event, which was too much. This meant only a few people got to actually do the cooking class portion (while the rest watched), and the space was rather crowded. This event would be much better with max of 8-10 people at a time. The food itself was delicious and the host was very warm and welcoming, but it's a high price point to be served food in a private home, with no alcohol, and minimal participation in the food prep.

Hi Lindsey! We'll definitely be incorporating this feedback into planning for all of Cape Town's events for next years peak season, thank you. For this experience, the team has already started planning ways we can work with Shaamiela on her monthly capacity she's able to host in her home so more members of the Nation can have a comfortable and enjoyable experience